Which foodie are you most closely connected to?

Question

Last week's WikiTree Challenge genealogy guest star was Meli Alexander, known as the DNA chef. Inspired by her love of food, we're looking at our connections to celebrity chefs and other "foodies" this week.

Are you closer to Emeril Lagasse, known for "BAM!" exclamations on his "Emeril" cooking show or the domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson, known for "Nigella Bites" and "Nigella Feasts"?

Here are more foodies to check your connection to:

• Maggie Beer, judge on "The Great Australian Bake Off"
• Mary Berry, judge on "The Great British Bake Off"
• Joop Braakhekke, host of "Kookgek"
• Michael Chow, founder of Mr. Chow restaurant chain
• Ree Drummond, "The Pioneer Woman"
• Paul Hollywood, judge on "The Great British Bake Off"
• Matty Matheson, "Neil Fak" on the television series "The Bear," owner of Matty's Pattys Burger Club
• Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Omnimedia
• Danny Trejo, "Trejo's Tacos" and "Trejo's Cantina"
• Molly Yeh, cookbook author, restaurant owner, and host of "Girl Meets Farm"

Which of these is closest to you on our single family tree? If you're one of the 32.8 million of us who are connected to each other on our big tree, you can check with the Connection Finder. On any WikiTree profile, you can select "Connection to Me" from the pull-down menu.

MyConnections can find your relationships to any of our Featured Connections and in any category on WikiTree such as Chefs, Food History, and English Bakers. Click the green button you'll see in the upper right hand corner of the category page if you are logged in.

Let us know how you're related below. If you want to share your connection on social media with cousins and friends, click the "get shareable image" button below your connection path. (Please refrain from sharing your connection on the featured profiles. It can clutter important conversations on research and collaboration. Thanks!)

P.S. Play this week's Connection Combat game! Are you closer to Emeril Lagasse or Nigella Lawson? Can your connection be verified with reliable sources?

P.P.S. Help us find and improve the profiles for next week's feature: National Parks.

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Answer 1

Cousins (Other Connection)
Emeril Lagasse - 23C2R - (24 degrees)
Paul Hollywood - 23C2R - (26 degrees)

Connections
Matty Matheson - 24 degrees
Ree Drummond - 25 degrees
Martha Stewart - 26 degrees
Nigella Lawson - 27 degrees
Maggie Beer - 27 degrees
Molly Yeh - 30 degrees
Joop Braakhekke - 33 degrees
Michael Chow - 34 degrees
Danny Trejo - 35 degrees
Mary Hunnings - 50 degrees

Answer 2

I am most closely connected to Nigella Lawson and Maggie Beer at 24 degrees.

Answer 3

Tough group this week. I’ve got Emeril Lagasse at 17 degrees (8th cousins).

Closer now already after all the recent contributions.

Answer 4

My closet cousin is Emeril Lagasse, who is 20^th cousin, 3x removed. My closet connections are Meli Alexander,  Nigella Lawson, and Ree Drummond at 21 degrees. I did meet Emeril Lagasse during a taping of his Emeril Live TV show in New York. If only I knew that we were related, it would have made for an interesting tidbit to share.

Ancestors and Cousins

• 21 degrees from Meli Alexander – 21^st cousin, 3x removed.
• 24 degrees from Emeril Lagasse – 20^th cousin, 3x removed.
• 25 degrees from Paul Hollywood – 23^rd cousin, 1x removed.

Connections

§  21 degrees from Nigella Lawson – 4 branches (2-3-6-11)

§  21 degrees from Ree Drummond – 4 branches (4-4-8-6)

§  25 degrees from Matty Matheson – 4 branches (4-5-8-9)

§  26 degrees from Maggie Beer – 6 branches (6-2-3-4-2-10)

§  26 degrees from Martha Stewart – 6 branches (2-8-4-3-6-4)

§  30 degrees from Joop Braakhekke – 6 branches (5-7-5-3-7-4)

§  30 degrees from Danny Trejo – 6 branches (8-3-4-3-6-7)

§  30 degrees from Molly Yeh – 5 branches (1-9-9-2-10)

§  33 degrees from Michael Chow – 10 branches (1-3-2-3-2-3-3-4-4-9)

§  46 degrees from Mary Berry – 12 branches (1-6-1-1-3-2-5-2-14-1-1-10)

 

Answer 5

18 degrees from Matty Matheson
19 degrees from Emeril Lagasse (8th cousin, 2x removed)
22 degrees from Maggie Beer
23 degrees from Nigella Lawson
23 degrees from Ree Drummond
24 degrees from Martha Stewart
25 degrees from Paul Hollywood (17th cousin)
26 degrees from Molly Yeh
28 degrees from Joop Braakhekke
30 degrees from Danny Trejo
31 degrees from Michael Chow
47 degrees from Mary Hunnings

Answer 6

21 degrees from Emeril Lagasse. 17th cousin 1 time removed. MRCA Robert (Whitney) de Whitney (1340 - 1402).

21 degrees from Ree Drummond.

24 degrees from Maggie Beer.

25 degrees from Nigella Lawson.

25 degrees from Paul Hollywood. 15th cousin 2 times removed. MRCA Johanna (St. John) Arundel (d.1483).

25 degrees from Matty Matheson.

25 degrees from Martha Stewart.

25 degrees from Molly Yeh.

29 degrees from Joop Braakhekke.

31 degrees from Danny Trejo.

33 degrees from Michael Chow.

47 degrees from Mary Hunnings.

Answer 7

My closest is Nigella Lawson at 18 degrees and my closest cousin is Emeril at 16th cousins, once removed.

Answer 8

Ree (Smith) Drummond - 22°
Martha (Kostyra) Stewart - 23°
Maggie (Ackerman) Beer AO - 25°
Matty Matheson - 25°
Nigella Lawson - 26°
Johannes Franciscus Braakhekke - 29°
Molly Yeh - 29°
Danny Trejo Jr. - 31°
Michael (Zhou) Chow - 31°
Mary (Berry) Hunnings DBE - 48°

Emeril Lagasse - 21° - 17th C
Paul Hollywood - 26°- 20th C

The first thing I see when I look at anything is patterns. The patterns that show up here are that:

1. The only 2 people I have ever heard of are Martha Stewart & Emeril Lagasse. Although Danny Trejo Jr. looks familiar. The 1st thing I thought when I saw him was "Chief!" But he isn't William Sampson-5017 Jr. I probably saw him in connection with Martha Stewart.
2. If I've never heard of them, they aren't my cousin, with that exception.
3. Not only are the connections not relationships, they are so far from me degree-wise as to be half-way around the Tree.

Answer 9

Ancestors and Cousins:

21 degrees from Emeril Lagasse - (21C, 2xR)
24 degrees from Paul Hollywood - (24C, 1xR)

Connections:

22 degrees from Matty Matheson
23 degrees from Ree Drummond
23 degrees from Martha Stewart
25 degrees from Nigella Lawson
26 degrees from Maggie Beer
30 degrees from Molly Yeh
31 degrees from Joop Braakhekke
31 degrees from Danny Trejo
33 degrees from Michael Chow
48 degrees from Mary Hunnings

Answer 10

I am most closely connected to Emeril Lagasse at 19 degrees of separation.

Cousins

• 19 degrees from Emeril Lagasse (20C, 4R)
  • Branch 1: Lagasse (2) → Audet (2) → Pépin (1) → Cloutier (3) 
  • Branch 2: Bourassa (3) 
  • Branch 3: LeJeune (1) → Lejeune (2) → Klumpp (3) → Benoit (1) 
  • Branch 4: Buch (2)

• 21 degrees from Paul Hollywood (23C)
  • Branch 1: Hollywood (2) → Truscott (6) 
  • Branch 2: Sant (2) 
  • Branch 3: Clifford (1) → Van Leuven (1) → Van Leuvan (1) 
  • Branch 4: Sperry (2) 
  • Branch 5: Hazelrigg (3) 
  • Branch 6: Quigley (2) → Buch (2)

No Relationship Found

• 20 degrees from Ree Drummond
• 24 degrees from Nigella Lawson
• 25 degrees from Maggie Beer
• 26 degrees from Matty Matheson
• 26 degrees from Martha Stewart
• 28 degrees from Joop Braakhekke
• 30 degrees from Danny Trejo
• 31 degrees from Molly Yeh
• 33 degrees from Michael Chow
• 48 degrees from Mary Hunnings

Answer 11

Ancestors and Cousins

• 22 Degrees - Emeril Lagasse (21C 3xR) Uncertain
• 25 Degrees - Paul Hollywood (16C 1xR) Uncertain

Connections

• 23 Degrees - Nigella Lawson
• 23 Degrees - Ree Drummond
• 23 Degrees - Matty Matheson
• 24 Degrees - Maggie Beer
• 24 Degrees - Joop Braakhekke
• 24 Degrees - Martha Stewart
• 29 Degrees - Molly Yeh
• 32 Degrees - Danny Trejo
• 33 Degrees - Michael Chow
• 47 Degrees - Mary Hunnings

Answer 12

27 degrees from Emeril Lagasse,
26 degrees from Nigella Lawson,
20 degrees from Maggie Beer,
48 degrees from Mary Hunnings,
23 degrees from Joop Braakhekke,
36 degrees from Michael Chow,
27 degrees from Ree Drummond,
28 degrees from Paul Hollywood,
25 degrees from Matty Matheson,
26 degrees from Martha Stewart,
37 degrees from Danny Trejo
and 34 degrees from Molly Yeh

Answer 13

My closest connection is to Emeril Lagasse (fifth cousin, once removed and 12 degrees).

Answer 14

Cousins

• 25 degrees - Emeril Lagasse
  • 23C4R -- MRCA - Thurstin de Whitney (1165 - abt. 1194)
• 26 degrees - Paul Hollywood
  • 27C4R -- MRCA - Gerard de Gournay (abt. 1040 - aft. 1104)

Connections

• 22 degrees - Matty Matheson
• 22 degrees - Martha Stewart
• 23 degrees - Nigella Lawson
• 25 degrees - Maggie Beer
• 25 degrees - Ree Drummond
• 29 degrees - Joop Braakhekke
• 31 degrees - Molly Yeh
• 34 degrees - Michael Chow
• 34 degrees - Danny Trejo
• 48 degrees - Mary Berry

Answer 15

Ahem, what?!? ALL foodies are at least 30 degrees away from me?!? Closest is Ree Drummond at 30, closely followed by Martha Stewart at 31. The furthest is Mary Hunnings at a whopping 56! What went wrong? I really like food ...

Answer 16

I am 24 degrees from Nigella Lawson

25 degrees from Paul Hollywood

27 degrees from Maggie Beer

28 degrees from Emeril Lagasse (25th cousins twice removed)

28 degrees from Molly Yeh

31 degrees from Ree Drummond

31 degrees from Matty Matheson

31 degrees from Martha Stewart

34 degrees from Joop Braakhekke

38 degrees from Danny Trejo

40 degrees from Michael Chow

46 degrees from Mary Hunnings

Answer 17

Emeril Lagasse - 23C1R - (20 degrees)
Paul Hollywood -   (24 degrees)

Answer 18

I am 24 degrees from both Emeril and Nigella.  Emeril is a very distant cousin so I will go with Emeril.

Answer 19

Emril Lagasse  - 9th cousins

Paul Hollywood - 25th cousins twice removed

Matty Matheson

- 20 degrees

Answer 20

17 degrees from Emeril Lagasse - 2 branches (8-10) 8th cousin 1x removed

21 degrees from Ree Drummond - 4 branches ( 4-9-3-6)

25 degrees from Paul Hollywood - 4 branches (9-4-7-6) 26th cousin 1x removed

25 degrees from Matty Matheson - 5 branches (4-4-8-2-8)

26 degrees from Nigella Lawson - 6 branches (2-3-6-4-7-6)

26 degrees from Maggie Beer - 5 branches (6-2-11-3-5)

26 degrees from Martha Stewart - 5 branches (2-13-7-2-3)

27 degrees from Joop Braakhekke - 6 branches (5-1-1-5-7-9)

28 degrees from Danny Trejo - 3 branches (8-13-18)

30 degrees from Molly Yeh - 4 branches (1-10-16-4)

31 degrees from Michael Chow - 10 branches (1-3-2-3-2-3-7-2-5-4)

48 degrees from Mary Berry - 12 branches (1-6-1-1-3-2-5-2-4-7-7-10)